35Tn Congress, ] HOUSE OF EEPRESENTATIVES. ( Report 
1st Session. \ \ No. 84. 



MARY W. THOMPSON. 

[To accompany Bill H. R. No. 265.] 



February 4, 1858. 

Mr. Chaffee, from the ^Committee on Invalid Pensions, made the 

following 

REPORT. 

The Committee on Invalid Pensions ^ to ivliom were referred the papers 
of Mary W. TJiompson, widow of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander B. 
Thompson^ late of the United States army, deceased^ report : 

, That said Mary W. Thompson received a half-pay pension for five 
years, under a general law granting half-pay pensions to certain 
'^widows ivliose husbands had been hilled or died of loounds while in the 
service of the United States," to wit, from December 25, 183*7, (the 
date of her husband's death,) until December 25, 1842. when her pen- 
sion terminated. From this period until January 1, 1852, she received 
no pension whatever. On her application to Congress at this time for 
a pension for life, the Senate passed a bill for her relief ; but during 
that session it did not get through the House, but remained on the 
calendar. In 1853 the House took up the Senate's bill for her relief, 
and passed it, allowing her thereby a pension from January 1, 1852, 
to continue during her widowhood. While the bill was on its passage 
in the House an amendment was added thereto, placing the names of 
the widows of Majors Dade and Lomax upon the bill, giving to these 
latter widows pensions for life, to commence some twelve years back_, 
or from the date of their husbands' deaths, thus making it an unin- 
terrupted relief to these widows. The design of this bill is merely to 
place Mrs. Thompson on the same footing with these and other widows 
whose husbands have been slain in battle, by filling up the period 
during which she received no pension, and thus give her a continu 
ous pension from her husband's death, and during her widowhood. 
It will therefore be nothing more than an act of equal justice to pass 
this bill for the widow of a brave and meritorious officer who sacri- 
ficed his life in his country's service. 

Your committee annex a copy of the report of the Senate committee, 
made in this case January 19, 1852. 



2 



MARY W. THOMPSON. 



*^The Committee on Pensions, to ivJiom was referred the memorial of 
Mary W. Thompson, beg leave to report : 

That the memorialist is the widow of the late Lieutenant Colonel 
Alexander R. Thompson, who was killed at the head of his regiment 
on the 25th of December, 1887, in an action with the Indians in 
Florida, after faithfully serving his country ibr upwards of twenty- 
five years. On the death of her husband Mrs. Thompson received a 
pension, which was continued lor five years, under the law of April 
16, 1816 ; and in 1844 she asked of Congress a renewal and continu- 
ance of the pension, grounding her claim upon the long and valuable 
services of her husband, his death in battle, on several precedents, and 
on valuable services which she had herself rendered during his life- 
i'lme. Her memorial was presented to the House of Representatives, 
and on the 24th of May, 1844^ the committee to whom it had been 
referred made a favorable report thereon, in which they say: 'The 
memorial does no more than justice to the memory and gallant services 
of one of the most meritorious of those distinguished officers whose 
virtues and whose bravery have reflected so much credit upon the 
American army. During a service of about twenty-six years, Colonel 
Thompson was distinguished in every grade through which he passed. 
The committee have been furnished with testimonials in his behalf of 
the highest commendation, from the most distinguished officers of the 
army. Colonel Thompson has also been required to perform public 
services and agencies of a civil character, which were entirely out of 
the line of his official military duties, involving high responsibilities. 
To enable him to discharge these satisfactorily to the government, it 
was necessary for him to have an assistant; this assistance was ren- 
dered by the memorialist, by the devotion of much of her time for a 
series of years, or rather by giving her time to the government, and 
thereby rendering important services.' ' The case of the petitioner is 
peculiar ; the services of her husband were such as are rarely, if ever, 
rendered ; and the circumstances of his death, in a Avar wherein no 
glory was to be gained — a war of suffering and disease, wherein all 
was at hazard, and nothing to be gained — must be taken into consid- 
eration (in the opinion of the committee) in estimating the compen- 
sation to be allowed.' 

'' In 1848 the memorial was again presented to the House of Repre- 
sentatives, and again a favorable report was made on the 18th of May 
of that year, in which the committee made, as a part of their own 
report, that of the 24th of May, 18-14. The report of May, 1848, sets 
forth: 'That Colonel Thompson was a most gallant officer, and ex- 
tremely useful in the service, as well in the management of his corps 
in action and in camp, his personal bravery in conflict, and in his in- 
struction of the officers and troops under his command, in preparing 
them for their duties in the service, while, at the same time, he per- 
formed other duties not pertaining to his station, in which he was 
assisted by his wife, the memorialist, who thus gave her services to 



RD 12.8 



MARY W. THOMPSON. 3 

the government in the exercise of duties important to the country, and 
which did not pertain to her or to her husband. These facts are most 
^; fully sustained by a letter of Major General Gaines, and from other 
^-evidences which have been presented to your committee.' 

The committee, in view of the facts presented to them_, have re- 
ported a bill providing a pension for the memorialist during her 
widowhood." 

Your committee therefore recommend for adoption the accompany- 
ing bill. 



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